---
title: "Quickstart - Install Jira MCP"
description: "Get started with Jira MCP, the best MCP server for Jira integration. Install and configure in minutes on Linux, macOS, or Windows."
sidebarTitle: "Quickstart"
---

Get the best Jira MCP server up and running in just a few minutes. Jira MCP provides seamless AI-powered Jira integration for Cursor, Claude, Windsurf, and other LLM clients.

## Prerequisites

Before installing Jira MCP, you need to set up the Jira CLI that the MCP server uses to execute commands.

<Steps>
<Step title="Install jira-cli">

Follow the installation instructions for your operating system from the [jira-cli repository](https://github.com/ankitpokhrel/jira-cli?tab=readme-ov-file#installation).

</Step>

<Step title="Get Jira API credentials">

Depending on your Jira implementation (Cloud or Self-Hosted), you will need to use a different authentication type.

Add these to your `.bashrc`, `.zshrc`, or other shell configuration file:

```bash
# https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens
export JIRA_API_TOKEN=""

# `bearer` for token,
# `basic` for Jira account API token
# `password` for Jira account password
export JIRA_AUTH_TYPE="basic"
```

Make sure to source the file after adding the credentials:

```bash
source ~/.bashrc
```

<Note>
  See [alternative credential
  methods](https://github.com/ankitpokhrel/jira-cli/discussions/356) for other
  ways to configure authentication.
</Note>

<Warning>
  GUI applications like Cursor and Windsurf do not inherit shell environment
  variables from `.bashrc` or `.zshrc`. It is recommended to pass these
  variables explicitly in the MCP configuration using the `env` field (shown in
  the examples below).
</Warning>

</Step>

<Step title="Initialize jira-cli">

```bash
jira init
```

This will prompt you for your Jira URL and credentials.

</Step>

<Step title="Test jira-cli">

```bash
jira issue list
```

This should return a list of issues in Jira.

</Step>
</Steps>

## Install the MCP server

Choose your preferred installation method:

<Tabs>
<Tab title="Download binary (Recommended)">

Download the latest release for your operating system from the [Releases page](https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases).

| Operating System      | Binary                               |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Linux                 | `jira-mcp-linux`                     |
| Windows               | `jira-mcp-windows.exe`               |
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | `jira-mcp-macos-apple-silicon-arm64` |
| macOS (Intel)         | `jira-mcp-macos-x64`                 |

<AccordionGroup>
<Accordion title="Linux">

```bash
# Download the binary
curl -L -o jira-mcp https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases/latest/download/jira-mcp-linux

# Make it executable
chmod +x jira-mcp

# Move to a directory in your PATH (optional)
sudo mv jira-mcp /usr/local/bin/
```

Add to your LLM client configuration:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp",
      "env": {
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

<Note>
  Replace `/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp` with the path to the binary on your machine
  if you moved it to a different location.
</Note>

</Accordion>

<Accordion title="macOS">

```bash
# For Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
curl -L -o jira-mcp https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases/latest/download/jira-mcp-macos-apple-silicon-arm64

# For Intel Macs
curl -L -o jira-mcp https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases/latest/download/jira-mcp-macos-x64

# Make it executable
chmod +x jira-mcp

# Move to a directory in your PATH (optional)
sudo mv jira-mcp /usr/local/bin/
```

<Warning>
macOS may block the binary on first run. If you see a security warning, go to **System Settings > Privacy & Security** and click **Allow Anyway**, or run:

```bash
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/jira-mcp
```

</Warning>

Add to your LLM client configuration:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp",
      "env": {
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

<Note>
  Replace `/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp` with the path to the binary on your machine
  if you moved it to a different location.
</Note>

</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Windows">

1. Download `jira-mcp-windows.exe` from the [Releases page](https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases).
2. Move the executable to a convenient location (e.g., `C:\Program Files\jira-mcp\`).

Add to your LLM client configuration:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\jira-mcp\\jira-mcp-windows.exe",
      "env": {
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

<Note>
  Replace `C:\\Program Files\\jira-mcp\\jira-mcp-windows.exe` with the path to
  the binary on your machine if you moved it to a different location.
</Note>

</Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

</Tab>

<Tab title="Development setup with uv">

Clone the repository:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp.git
cd jira-mcp
```

Add MCP server to your LLM client configuration:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/REPO/ROOT",
        "run",
        "python",
        "-m",
        "src.main"
      ],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

This tells your LLM client that there is a tool that can be called by running `uv --directory /ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/REPO run python -m src.main`.

<Note>
  Install UV if you haven't already: [UV installation
  guide](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/)
</Note>

</Tab>

<Tab title="Install globally with pipx">

```bash
# Install pipx if you haven't already
brew install pipx
pipx ensurepath

# Clone and install the MCP server
git clone https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp.git
cd jira-mcp
pipx install -e .
```

</Tab>
</Tabs>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>

<Card title="Configure Cursor" icon="arrow-pointer" href="/ai-tools/cursor">
  Set up Jira MCP in Cursor IDE.
</Card>

<Card
  title="Configure Claude Code"
  icon="asterisk"
  href="/ai-tools/claude-code"
>
  Set up Jira MCP with Claude Code CLI.
</Card>

<Card title="Configure Windsurf" icon="water" href="/ai-tools/windsurf">
  Set up Jira MCP in Windsurf.
</Card>

<Card title="Development" icon="code" href="/development">
  Contribute to Jira MCP development.
</Card>

</CardGroup>
